Automatic fragrance sprayers are widely installed in public toilets, changing rooms, and other spaces where odour may be a problem. These sprayers typically include a timer, and an actuator for releasing a quantity of fragrance from an aerosol. The timer causes the actuator to spray the fragrance at regular intervals. The device is used to control odour in the space in which it is installed.
Typically, the timer and actuator are electrically operated, and are powered by dry cell batteries. These batteries need to be checked on a regular basis, and replaced when they become depleted. This results in an extra task for a janitor to regularly complete. Also, the units are often installed in moist environments, and moisture can cause the batteries to deteriorate and leak, causing damage to the fragrance sprayer itself. Since the batteries must be easily replaceable, it is difficult to protect them from moisture.
Depleted batteries should ideally be recycled to recover raw materials. However, the cost and inconvenience of doing so often means that they are simply discarded with general waste. This is damaging to the environment.
A fragrance sprayer “including a controller, an actuator and an aerosol cannister the controller being adapted to activate the actuator to release fragrance from the aerosol cannister, the fragrance sprayer further comprising at least one cell for powering the controller and actuator” is henceforth referred to as “of the type described”.
Mains-powered fragrance sprayers solve the problems of battery replacement. However, they are difficult and costly to install due to the wiring required. An electrician will usually be needed. In contrast, a battery-powered sprayer may simply be fixed to a wall with, for example, screws. A caretaker or in-house handyman will often be able to complete this task in a relatively short period of time, making installation inexpensive. As a result, mains-powered fragrance sprayers are not as commonly used.
Non-electrical automatic fragrance-sprayers are available. Some designs, for example, rely on a hydrogen-generating fuel cell to create gas to continually force fragrance out of a container. However, these devices rely on the passive movement of air to disperse the fragrance (i.e. passive diffusion), rather than actively spraying it into the room. As a result, odour control is not as effective.
It is an object of the invention to provide a fragrance sprayer which reduces or substantially obviates the above mentioned problems.